First Presbyterian Church
Being Children of God
Sermon for April 30, 2006
by Pastor Susan Barnes

Psalm 4 doesn't start out with any praise of the Lord's name, as other psalms do. There is no time for flattery; the singer is desperate. The psalm begins abruptly: “Answer me!” The singer is direct about the trouble ahead and expects God to take care of it immediately. The psalms are set in a society of shame and honor, but the psalmist refuses to be shamed into embarrassed silence.

God responds to the prayers of the faithful, of which the speaker is one, thank you very much, God. Trouble is a fact of life, but not the ultimate fact of life. God is. Listen for the word of God as we read it together from Psalm 4.

1 To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah

3 But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah

5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.

6 There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!"

7 You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.

8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.

This ends our reading of God's word.

The psalm demonstrates great trust in God's power for salvation. Much of the rest of the Bible demonstrates humankind's lack of trust, especially the stories of the disciples.

Our gospel reading is from the end of the Luke. It's always easiest to understand a gospel if we stay in the story world of that gospel. Luke does not tell us about the risen Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, as the gospel of John does. Instead he tells his own version.

In Luke, the last words Jesus spoke to the disciples before his death were in chapter 22:46, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial. That's also the last line of the Lord's Prayer in Luke (11:4) .But the disciples didn't pray at all; they fell asleep, and Jesus woke them, saying again, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” And then Judas led the temple police to Jesus. One disciple had mistakenly attacked a slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this” to everyone, in the disciples' hearing, and healed the man. So Jesus' last words to the disciples were words of rebuke and correction. Their last interaction with him was exhausted misunderstanding. They still didn't know what Jesus was about.

After Jesus was taken by the authorities, Peter denied him 3 times, then the cock crowed, and Jesus, from the cross, caught his eye, and Peter wept. The rest of the disciples, and all his acquaintances, stood and watched his crucifixion. Later, after the resurrection, Cleopas and an unnamed disciple met Jesus on the road to the village called Emmaus. They did not know who he was until he gave them bread to eat, and he disappeared. So the two went to the other disciples in Jerusalem and told them about their surprising meeting with Jesus.

Listen for the word of God as it is found in Luke 24:36-48.

36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence. 44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you -- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled."

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.”

This ends our reading from the gospel.

Jesus' first words to the disciples who had misunderstood, abandoned and betrayed him were the standard greeting “peace be with you.” Not “What have you to say for yourselves?” Not “I am disappointed in your behavior.” Not “I have a story to tell you about some wicked servants.” He didn't even say “I told you so” to Peter who had denied Jesus as Jesus had predicted.

Instead he reassures them. He demonstrated he wasn't a ghost to be feared and placated. In Biblical tradition, one of the ways you could tell the difference between a heavenly being and just a vision of one was whether or not the being ate food (Genesis 18:8, Tobit 12:19). Jesus ate a piece of broiled fish. His risen presence was real. He was the living Christ, with good news for them. Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. All the powers, the governments, the rulers are to learn that God is more powerful, more just, and more righteous than earthly rulers and realms.

One way to look at the events of holy week is to say that “God let Jesus die” and blame God. Another way is to say “Jesus' disciples abandoned and betrayed him” and blame the disciples. Another is to say “The political powers spied on his growing ministry and conspired to destroy him” and blame the powers.

But that last week of Jesus' earthly life was not the end of the story. God transformed the crucifixion by resurrecting Jesus; Jesus declared peace, not judgment, to the disciples, and the political powers were eventually replaced and condemned. The power of evil did not triumph, and Christians have witnessed to the saving power of God for two thousand years since.

In a Church World Service brochure from years ago, I read Dale Bishop's words about a trip to Mexico. I remember learning about the Spanish conquest of Mexico, Central and South America in elementary school. We were taught to admire the bravery of the conquistadors. Nowadays the history is not so one-sided.

Bishop wrote

“Early on in my visit to Mexico, I wondered how the indigenous Indian population could have adopted the faith of those who enslaved them and had ultimately tried to eradicate them. My first attempt at answering that question came as I watched the drama of [a Mexican worship service] unfold. It struck me that the resurrection reality transcends human attempts to limit it or to deform it. The oppressors had brought the message of the resurrection even though they themselves, apparently, did not understand it, and had unwittingly worked to destroy it. The power of the resurrection message is that it is true. Death is never the last word; beyond the grave there is life. Nothing can destroy that hope, that truth. 1

The first letter of John was written to comfort a community that had just divided over an argument between faith and action. Some thought that having faith guaranteed salvation and prevented sin. In the Roman world, faith meant simply making sacrifices to the gods so that the gods would protect and benefit those who made the sacrifices; morality was not a part of religion but philosophy. Perhaps some early converts saw Christianity as just another way of approaching the gods, of securing safety and prosperity. One's everyday behavior did not have much to do with religious practice. 2

But your behavior did influence your status. Psalm 4 complained about being ashamed; ancient Middle Eastern society was a shame-based culture. The community was also patriarchal. Every person was known as a child of his or her father. Your father's occupation, or who or what your father or master owned, defined your class and status. You were known as the son of the wealthiest landowner or the daughter of a Pharisee or the son of a slave. To be called a child of God conveyed a sense of equality among Christians.

Listen for the word of God as it is found in 1 John 3:1-7.

1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

2 Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

This ends our reading from God's word.

In this passage, it isn't clear to me if we will see God because we are like God or if we will be like God because we can see God. Either way, it's a little disturbing to read that the Bible speaks of human beings becoming like God. Maybe even blasphemous. But it isn't, really.

When we spend a great deal of time with anyone, we adopt some of his or her mannerisms without even trying to. You've probably noticed how husbands and wives have the same mannerisms and use the same expressions when they talk. In my family, my mother, sisters and I laugh the same. When we're together, sometimes the sons-in-law just have to get out of the house for a little while. We become like those we spend time with or like those we admire.

Some of you parents might remember your children clomping around the house in your shoes, struggling to keep them on their tiny feet. We see teenagers emulating celebrities. We read their t-shirts – “vote for Pedro” identifies them with the movie Napoleon Dynamite. For those of you of another generation, you might have worn a “Make my day” shirt from Clint Eastwood's movie Dirty Harry. Or you might hold onto your Grateful Dead or Beatles shirts. The middle schoolers are once again wearing AC/DC shirts. We put on what we want to be known by.

For the author of 1 John, becoming like God means wanting to take on God's qualities of goodness, joy, and righteousness. Becoming like God means to become authentically human, for we humans were created in the image of God.

In our psalm, the word that gets translated as ‘people' in verse 2 is literally “Sons of men,” or “children of human beings.” To be a child of a human being means to be a human being.

Being like God is the goal of children of God. We know we are in Christ if we do what is righteous, John tells us. John wasn't concerned with the theology of sin and forgiveness here; but rather with a community uncertain of its belief. They didn't know what to do with another group that made similar yet confusing claims. John said those who do what is right and just are in Christ. John doesn't talk about believing correctly, he talks about behaving correctly.

Remember that in those days, philosophy, not religion influenced Greek moral behavior. Different philosophies defined correct behavior differently. Because Hedonist philosophers taught that our souls were unaffected by our bodies and our actions, any erotic or intoxicating activity was permissible. Ascetic philosophers taught that human bodies were dirty so they must be purified. They denied themselves any sensual pleasures; tasty food, fragrant smells, soft cushions, or smooth fabrics.

Christianity followed the Jewish tradition of faith influencing behavior. Christians integrated religion and philosophy. John knew faith couldn't be separated from actions. Actions demonstrate our faith, faith informs our action. New life in Christ transforms our actions.

Does that mean that once we are Christians, we cannot sin? Does that mean if we sin we aren't Christians?

John does say, “None who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.” But earlier in his letter, John said that everyone has sinned and Christ is an advocate for sinners. So John isn't talking about believers being automatically sin-free. He's talking about the members who left the church over the topic of faith and action. He meant “Don't be fooled. Your actions do matter. Your behavior does reflect your faith. Keep on doing what's right.”

Jesus opened the disciples' minds so they could understand that his death wasn't a tragic end; it was an endless transformation, full of hope.

John said, “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” In other words, “the world couldn't bear to hear the gospel from Jesus himself; how much less will it hear the gospel from you? Don't be discouraged.” John told this community to hang in there; they weren't accepted for the same reason Jesus wasn't accepted. These first century Christians were in good company; they walked the way of the risen Christ, not just the crucified Christ. They looked to be transformed also.

We too can be transformed. We can open ourselves up to the Easter hope. We are not stuck in a status of being so-and-so's daughter or the son of that one. We can take on a new identity as children of God. John said we are children of God, not because we are like God already, but because God loves us. As children of God, we spend time paying attention to the presence of God around us, loving us. If we know we are spending time with God, we just might adopt some of God's expressions and mannerisms. Imagine what we would be like if we were more like God. Imagine what the world would be like if we were all a little more like God.

Please join me in affirming our faith.

What does it mean to say that we human beings are created in the image of God?

That God created us to live together in love and freedom – with God, with one another, and with the world. Our distinctive capacities – reason, imagination, volition, and so on – are given primarily for this purpose. We are created to be loving companions of others so that something of God's goodness may be reflected in our lives.

What does our creation in God's image reflect about God's love for us?

We are created to live wholeheartedly for God. When we honor our Creator as the source of all good things, we are like mirrors reflecting back the great beam of love that God shines on us. We are also created to honor God by showing love toward other human beings.

As creatures made in God's image, what responsibility do we have for the earth?

God commands us to care for the earth in ways that reflect God's loving care for us. We are responsible for ensuring that earth's gifts be used fairly and wisely, that no creature suffers from the abuse of what we are given, and that future generations may continue to enjoy the abundance and goodness of the earth in praise to God.

Amen.

1 Bishop, Dale L. Acting general secretary, Mission program, “ Chiapas : Reflections on a Massacre” church world service publication, p. 3.

2Texts for Preaching, year B, p. 294.